The Origins and Sanctity of Life
Where did the universe come from, and why do Christians say life is holy? Weigh the Big Bang against Genesis, meet a priest who helped shape modern science, and explore what it means to be made in the image of God.
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Where did it all begin?
Science asks how the universe began; Christianity asks who made it and why it matters. This module looks at the origins and value of the universe, why Christians call human life holy, and how many believers hold science and faith together.
Sanctity and stewardship words
Four ideas run through this module:
Two ways to tell the story
A scientific account and a Christian account answer different questions about the same universe.
The priest who moved the stars
Who was Georges Lemaitre?
- A priest and scientist who proposed the Big Bang idea
- A Roman emperor
- An ancient Greek philosopher
- The author of the book of Genesis
Match each idea to its meaning
- Sanctity of life
- Image of God
- Big Bang
- Stewardship
- Life is holy and given by God
- Humans reflect God, so life has special value
- The universe began and expanded from a single point
- Caring for the world as God's creation
Science and faith together
Many Christians see no conflict between science and belief. Georges Lemaitre, a priest, helped develop the Big Bang theory itself. The Diocese of Manchester Synod even passed a motion affirming that science and Christian faith can go together, and many Christians accept the Big Bang and evolution as HOW God created.
Why life is sacred
Select the TWO ideas linked to the sanctity of life in Christianity.
- Human life is holy because it is given by God
- Humans are made in the image of God
- Human life has no special value
- Only the strong deserve to live
The story science tells
Put the scientific account of the universe into order.
- The universe begins in the Big Bang and expands
- Stars and galaxies form over billions of years
- The Earth forms and simple life appears
- Life develops and becomes more complex over time
Match each view to what it says
- Literal creationism
- Theistic evolution
- Non-religious view
- Stewardship
- Reads Genesis as six ordinary days
- God created using the Big Bang and evolution
- Life arose by natural processes without God
- The world is a gift to care for, not just use
Made in whose image?
What does being made in the image of God suggest about human life?
- It has special, God-given value
- It is worth nothing
- It is exactly the same as a rock
- It belongs only to priests
The big picture in words
Many Christians believe the universe was created by _____, as described in Genesis. Human life is seen as _____ because people are made in the image of God. The scientific account says the universe began with the _____, an idea developed by the priest and scientist Georges _____. Treating the world as a gift to care for is a duty called _____.
Origins and the sanctity of life
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- Christians believe human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God.
- Georges Lemaitre, a priest and scientist, helped develop the Big Bang theory.
- All Christians reject science and the Big Bang completely.
- The image of God means human life has no special value.
- The Big Bang is a story found in the book of Genesis.
Name the view
Work out what each view about origins is called.
- A Christian scientist says the Big Bang and evolution are HOW God created the world. What is this view called?
- Someone argues the universe began and life developed through natural processes, with no God involved. Whose view is this?
- A church group treats caring for the environment as a religious duty because the world is God's creation. What is this called?
Explain and connect
Explain what Christians mean by the sanctity of life, and explain how some Christians respond to scientific explanations of the origins of the universe.
- Explain what sanctity of life means and why, using the image of God
- Explain one scientific account of the universe's origin
- Explain how some Christians see science and faith as compatible
- Refer to Georges Lemaitre or the Diocese of Manchester Synod